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civreader's review
4.0
My review is here: http://civilianreader.wordpress.com/2014/11/06/quick-review-the-relic-guild-by-edward-cox-gollancz/
Very good debut fantasy.
Very good debut fantasy.
celia_hf's review
4.0
I was recommended to read this book as soon as it came out. It has been patiently waiting on my TBR Shelf for a while. The only positive thing about waiting so long is that I can rush to the bookstore and buy the sequel.
The biggest forte for this book is world building. The plot is on the slowish side but for good reason: the author has taken his time to construct a complicated and spectacular world from the building of the Labyrinth, the interesting cast of characters (human and non-humans), the magic systems. The end of the first book feels like an introduction to an adventure and I am curious to know where the characters will go and what mysteries surrounding the TimeWatcher.
The biggest forte for this book is world building. The plot is on the slowish side but for good reason: the author has taken his time to construct a complicated and spectacular world from the building of the Labyrinth, the interesting cast of characters (human and non-humans), the magic systems. The end of the first book feels like an introduction to an adventure and I am curious to know where the characters will go and what mysteries surrounding the TimeWatcher.
lauraanne's review against another edition
5.0
This book kept me completely hooked through the whole thing, I couldn't put it down. I just want the next one to be ready now!
Second time: I still loved this book. Although maybe slightly less than the first read but I suppose that was because I knew what was going to happen. I enjoy the way the story is told in both the present in the past so we can discover more about the relic guild and each of its characters and understand better what is happening in the present day.
Second time: I still loved this book. Although maybe slightly less than the first read but I suppose that was because I knew what was going to happen. I enjoy the way the story is told in both the present in the past so we can discover more about the relic guild and each of its characters and understand better what is happening in the present day.
tomlloyd's review
3.0
Feels a bit disingenuous giving it a 3 stars, but I certainly did like it, and but for a few niggles it'd have been 4, so a 3.5?
The good? Well it's a very enjoyable epic fantasy in a noir-ish dystopian setting, emcompassing two time lines and dashes of vampirism and zombies - all neatly balanced despite it being a debut, with likeable characters and a fresh setting.
The less good? (bit spoilery) My main issue was with the blue avatar. It leads the relic guild by the nose and drives their side of events, but given you don't find out anything about it and the book's only a first in a series, it... well, without this unknown force they'd be sunk by halfway. And at the end you're left with a bunch of questions, which bugged me despite the fact I'd been merrily rattling through the chapters. The only other big thing I had was the sense of the city - you've got this huge labyrinth and these other worlds and... you don't get to play with the shiny toys. They get put behind a wall because they're dangerous and you're left with glimpses in the flashback time line. While that didn't affect the actual story, it was a let down in terms of what I was hoping to see and dulled the sense of place I got from the book. But mostly I was just hoping for some crazy world building to picture.
As for minor niggles, the relic guild wasn't big enough for a city of a million people, the name Van Bam bugged me throughout as I kept hearing it in the voice of Duff Man from the Simpsons, Clara didn't actually do a whole lot and I suspect she'll be a lot more fun to read about in book 2, I never got a great sense of the original war and why/how it all came about plus much about the Thaumaturgists.
But all in all, I did enjoy it and expect good things from book 2!
The good? Well it's a very enjoyable epic fantasy in a noir-ish dystopian setting, emcompassing two time lines and dashes of vampirism and zombies - all neatly balanced despite it being a debut, with likeable characters and a fresh setting.
The less good? (bit spoilery) My main issue was with the blue avatar. It leads the relic guild by the nose and drives their side of events, but given you don't find out anything about it and the book's only a first in a series, it... well, without this unknown force they'd be sunk by halfway. And at the end you're left with a bunch of questions, which bugged me despite the fact I'd been merrily rattling through the chapters. The only other big thing I had was the sense of the city - you've got this huge labyrinth and these other worlds and... you don't get to play with the shiny toys. They get put behind a wall because they're dangerous and you're left with glimpses in the flashback time line. While that didn't affect the actual story, it was a let down in terms of what I was hoping to see and dulled the sense of place I got from the book. But mostly I was just hoping for some crazy world building to picture.
As for minor niggles, the relic guild wasn't big enough for a city of a million people, the name Van Bam bugged me throughout as I kept hearing it in the voice of Duff Man from the Simpsons, Clara didn't actually do a whole lot and I suspect she'll be a lot more fun to read about in book 2, I never got a great sense of the original war and why/how it all came about plus much about the Thaumaturgists.
But all in all, I did enjoy it and expect good things from book 2!
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